It was a busy Wednesday for the Chicago Cubs’ front office, as the club executed a pair of trades and DFA’d Patrick Wisdom to reshape their roster.
First up was a deal with the Cleveland Guardians to acquire reliever Eli Morgan in exchange for outfield prospect Alfonsin Rosario. The Cubs bullpen ranked middle of the pack in most categories in 2024, but are hoping that the addition of Morgan can help provide some stability in the late innings next year.
The 28 year old RHP produced a 3-0 record with a 1.93 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 34 K’s across 42IP with Cleveland in 2024. One of Chicago’s ongoing storylines throughout 2024 was who would close out games.
Hector Neris, Porter Hodge, and Adbert Alzolay appeared to be the preferred late innings closer at various times throughout the season, but no one currently owns a stranglehold on the position heading into 2025. How Morgan fits into the mix remains to be seen, but it certainly gives GM Craig Counsell some more options prior to Spring Training kicking off.
Morgan is projected to earn a $1M contract in arbitration this offseason according to MLB Trade Rumors. Rosario was the Cubs’ 21st ranked prospect and is fresh off hitting 16 HRs across 109 Single-A games with Myrtle Beach in 2024. He did however strike out 147 times, so hitting remains a work in progress for the 20 year old.
As a result of the deal, the Cubs designated Patrick Wisdom for assignment in a corresponding move. The right handed infielder struggled to produce at the plate last year for Chicago, hitting .171 with 8 HRs, 23 RBIs, and 16 runs scored across 75 games.
The Cubs then went out and acquired catcher Matt Thaiss from the Los Angeles Angels in exchange for cash considerations in a separate deal later that afternoon.
The 29 year old backstop hit .204 with 2 HRs, 16 RBIs, and 14 runs scored for the Angels across 57 games last summer. If nothing else, it gives the North Siders some depth behind Miguel Amaya as the team continues to monitor the progress of top prospect Moises Ballesteros who has oscillated between 1st base and catcher in his rise through the Cubs farm system.
Photo: Erik Drost. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.